Friday, 25 September 2015

Vegetables

The grey weather of the summer has, at least, suited some things in the garden, particularly the brassicas. These cabbages were planted to be ready late in the year but are hearting already. They've had the advantage that the weather hasn't suited the butterflies, particularly the whites, whose caterpillars usually help us eat them. That said, this is a remarkably pest-free garden, so while we don't pretend to be organic, we have to use few chemicals, the one major exception being the gooseberries where we murder the larvae of the sawfly when they attack the leaves.

Each year we give up on some crops and experiment with others. We gave up on spinach this year, replacing it with kale which, like the cabbage, has matured far too early. As with salad leaves, this variety can be picked steadily rather than pulled up plant by plant. It's looking, and tasting, good.

The prompt for this post came because today was that special day of the year when we harvested our first potatoes. Each year we put in a few and wait to see what happens. In previous years we've planted a variety called anya, kindly given to us by a local crofter, but this year we bought our seed potatoes from Poundstretcher - yes - half of them maris piper, the other half estima, grown once again in the terracotta chimney liners left over from when the house was built.

Today we harvested the first three estima pots, getting just under 4kg of perfect potatoes.

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About Kilchoan

Kilchoan is a remote Scottish crofting village at the westernmost end of the Ardnamurchan peninsula, a two-hour drive to the west of Fort William. Its white houses are strung like pearls around a wide bay, looking out across the Sound of Mull to Tobermory. The year-round population of the village itself is just over a hundred, but this diary writes about all the villages of western Ardnamurchan, including Portuairk, Sanna, Achosnich, Achnaha and Kilmory.

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Copyright: All photos were taken by Jon Haylett unless otherwise acknowledged. Individuals are free to copy and use all Jon's photos and words under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike Licence v3.0, terms here. If you use any of the pictures please give an attribution and a link to the Kilchoan Diary. Media should check with Jon on kilchoandiary@btinternet.com

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The author of A Kilchoan Diary is Jon Haylett. To read more about him, click here, and to see some of his most popular photographs, click here.

Otters Holt Holiday Cottage, Kilchoan

Situated in the village of Kilchoan and on a hilltop facing south with panoramic views over the Sound of Mull, this comfortable and spacious accommodation sleeps up to six. Set in an acre and a half of ground, wildlife sightings, including pine martens, are common. Click on the picture for full details.

Croft Apartment, Kilchoan

Peaceful and spacious upstairs apartment in traditional croft house in Kilchoan, with stunning views across Kilchoan Bay to Mull. Within easy walking distance of the Tobermory ferry and Kilchoan shop. Self-contained, with own garden, central heating, linen, electricity included. Sleeps 2/3. To book, click on the picture.